Abstract
A wide range of biomolecules, including proteins, are excreted and secreted from helminths and contribute to the parasite's successful establishment, survival, and reproduction in an adverse habitat. Excretory and secretory proteins (ESP) are active at the interface between parasite and host and comprise potential targets for intervention. The intestinal nematode Strongyloides spp. exhibits an exceptional developmental plasticity in its life cycle characterized by parasitic and free-living generations. We investigated ESP from infective larvae, parasitic females, and free-living stages of the rat parasite Strongyloides ratti, which is genetically very similar to the human pathogen, Strongyloides stercoralis. Proteomic analysis of ESP revealed 586 proteins, with the largest number of stage-specific ESP found in infective larvae (196), followed by parasitic females (79) and free-living stages (35). One hundred and forty proteins were identified in all studied stages, including anti-oxidative enzymes, heat shock proteins, and carbohydrate-binding proteins. The stage-selective ESP of (1) infective larvae included an astacin metalloproteinase, the L3 Nie antigen, and a fatty acid retinoid-binding protein; (2) parasitic females included a prolyl oligopeptidase (prolyl serine carboxypeptidase), small heat shock proteins, and a secreted acidic protein; (3) free-living stages included a lysozyme family member, a carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzyme, and saponin-like protein. We verified the differential expression of selected genes encoding ESP by qRT-PCR. ELISA analysis revealed the recognition of ESP by antibodies of S. ratti-infected rats. A prolyl oligopeptidase was identified as abundant parasitic female-specific ESP, and the effect of pyrrolidine-based prolyl oligopeptidase inhibitors showed concentration- and time-dependent inhibitory effects on female motility. The characterization of stage-related ESP from Strongyloides will help to further understand the interaction of this unique intestinal nematode with its host.
Highlights
From the ‡Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; §Zoology Department, Aswan Faculty of Science, South Valley University Aswan, Egypt; ¶The Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St
Proteomic Analysis of S. ratti Excretory and secretory proteins (ESP)—Comparison of ESP Pattern from Different Life Cycle Stages of S. ratti—Active biosynthesis and excretion/secretion were confirmed under our experimental conditions by incubating the worm cultures with cycloheximide and/or sodium azide
SDS gel electrophoretic analysis revealed protein mixtures of different complexities based on the differing banding patterns in the various ESP
Summary
Long-lasting interaction between intestinal parasitic nematodes and mammalian hosts has led to increased adaptation and co-evolution [3]. [2] S. stercoralis exhibits the ability to complete its life cycle within the human host. Larvae can develop to the iL3 within the gastrointestinal tract, traverse the intestinal mucosa, migrate through the tissues, and establish again in the small intestine [6]. Such cycles of autoinfection can lead to repeated re-infection that can persist for several decades without apparent symptoms. More than 100 million people are probably infected, as the current stool diagnostic is insensitive, and as such the number of infected people was grossly underestimated [10, 11]
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